Dragon Boat West

Society planning reincarnation of sea festival

By Scott Deveau-Contributing writer

Vancouver may soon have its answer to the Calgary Stampede with a new summer event celebrating the city's connection to the sea.

Called the SeaVancouver Festival, the waterfront event would become the showcase of Vancouver's summer tourist season.

Ann Phelps, executive producer of the SeaVancouver Festival Society, says while Vancouver has several events throughout the year, such as the Fringe, Folk Music Festival and the PNE, it lacks a central event to unite the community.

"Our goal is to have the signature event for Vancouver, so that in the same way people think of the Stampede when you say Calgary, people will begin to think SeaVancouver when you say Vancouver," Phelps said.

The festival will feature Vancouver's long ties to the sea. False Creek was once home to several ship builders and ports, which drove the city's economy through the Depression and Second World War. The marine culture has changed and is now focused on the tourist industry with cruise ships, sailing, Granville Island and the beaches drawing thousands of tourists each year.

The plans, which go before council for approval Thursday, call for nightly light shows, wakeboard and water ski exhibitions, beer gardens, floating stage performances and maritime art displays. It would also include the Tall Ships regatta, which would be moved from Richmond.

The festival would not be the first seaside celebration in Vancouver. In the 1980s, the Sea Festival ran events from Kits beach to English Bay. The Sea Festival, which also had beer gardens, was cancelled after a drunken riot broke out on Davie Street and several businesses were damaged.

"My initial reaction [to SeaVancouver] is why do we need liquor to celebrate? It never gets controlled well and beer gardens don't have anything to do with celebrating the sea," said Dave Jones, a retired Vancouver police inspector who now works for the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association

The $2 million festival would be co-sponsored by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments in conjunction with the private sector. Planners estimate it would return $30 million in tourism dollars.

If approved, the five-day festival would kick off with a $400 per plate VIP gala and end with a public fireworks and musical light display. The tentative dates are set for July 6 to 10.

Phelps, who is also the general manager of the the Dragonboat Festival in Vancouver, said the July deadline does not leave a lot of time for preparation. But she is confident the festival's coordinators can pull it off if council approves the plan.

Burke Taylor, the city's director of cultural affairs, is recommending the city accept the proposal.

"We are a huge port city, it's ever-present, but we don't often acknowledge it or celebrate it," Taylor said.

He said the festival is in line with the city's ongoing plans to return the waterfront to public use.

The festival's venues would include exhibitions from various Asia Pacific marine cultures, which have also become part of Vancouver's marine culture, Taylor said.

do not believe that dragon boat races are part of the festivites at SeaVancouver. I managed to dig this up regarding the festival.

A non-motorized paddle-sport racing regatta featuring Taiwanese and Chinese dragonboats, Outrigger canoes and first nation long boats.

In the Alcan Race Package that is supposed to be coming out, the Regatta will be Jul 9-10 and I believe the entry fee is $400. It will be a multi sport regatta: dragon boat, flatwater, outrigger....

SeaVancouver Regatta
Saturday, July 9 and Sunday July 10, 2005
Perhaps you've heard? SeaVancouver is the new signature event being supported by the City of Vancouver and the Government of Canada that will celebrate our city's cultural connection to the sea. This five day event (July 6-10, 2005) features boats of every size and description including the Tall Ships Challenge as well as a city-wide schedule of concerts, exhibitions, spontaneous acts of art, dance performances and much more. SeaVancouver offers our organization the opportunity to be part of a much bigger event and promote a new and exciting race opportunity. We are thrilled and hope that you'll join us in the excitement on July 9 and 10 at the SeaVancouver Regatta in False Creek. More details will be released as they become available.
Registration Information
Early Bird registration fee (paid by May 31): $300.00 + $21.00 GST for teams registered in the 2005 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.
Regular registration fee (paid by June 30): $400.00 + $28.00 GST for teams registered in the 2005 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.
Race Format to be determined – details will be released as they become available.